How many watts do you really need?

[BluesNRock87]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

daisy u bring up a good point

guys how would a 30 watt amp fair???? I would really liek to consider a f-30 mesa series amp also. 30 watts happy medium and sounds good? the price is cheaper i think than the marshalls. also it says that the f-30 is dyna watt power? i noticed it also does not use mesa regular 6L6 tubes and instead uses EL84's??? this a huge differnemce?

i really like me 30 watter, i find its a nice medium. its the 2nd 30 watt amp ive had. to me 30 is great. small enough to be able to turn down and get decent bedroom tones, but big enough to crank and not be overpowered by a drummer, and get awesome tones. also if its cranked, within reason wont p/o the neighbors. 50 watts is a bit too much for that, and 15 isnt enough. if 30 isnt enough, mic it. especially if its a 30watt class A u will be plenty loud. headroom depends on the amp, usually pretty good if not excellent

el84's are nice tubes, i think its more a marshally voxey maybe (i dunno) than a fender tone (6L6). my amp has a quad of 84's, they are pretty great..

 

[southadc]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

Ok, I found the formula: its db = 10 log(Power 1 / Power 2)

So: 10 log(300/100) = 4.77 db

3db is considered the smallest change the human ear can detect, so 4.77db would be just noticable.

Thanks again! I'm afraid I didn't pay too much attention to what little electrical theory I did at uni, so I appreciate your effort here!

4.77 dB isn't much more than the 3 dB you mention; couple this with the fact that I reckon the volume of the cabinet I'm using (haven't had chance to measure up properly) is larger than the one he's looking at, I don't think there will be any percievable difference in volume.

This is a very interesting subject I think, and one I wish I knew more about. I was trying to help a friend recently (a bassist), who wanted to know why the guitarists in his band were drowning him out; they were typically using 100 watt 4 x 12 half stacks at practice rooms, whereas he was using his own amp, which was a 350 watt 4 x 8 combo. I tried explaining this in terms of the fact that the fact that he was playing bass meant that he had to 'move more air' (due to the lower frequencies) in order to be percieved to be as being as loud as either one of the guitarists; the fact that he was up against two 4 x 12 cabinets with a 4 x 8 cabinet to my mind meant that he was fighting a losing battle, and that the power rating was only going to provide minimal help, if any. He went with a larger cab and Bingo! His problems eased up. He currently uses a 4 x 12, and has tested out a second 1 x 15 cab with this setup, in case he ever needs to push his sound out a bit further.

Maybe there should be a Vault item made for this subject? It is certainly an important one for anyone who intends to gig. I would love to know more about amps. All of the above was educated guesswork at the time for me :eek2:

 

[strat_master]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

hmm right now the f 30 looks very appealing and affordable as well. My only main concern is its abilty to play with louder amps that ppl i jam with may have. i dont want it being drowned out by a drummer or a guitar player with more watts. because itf thats the case would i be betetr off with the f 100 combo? its a 100 watts and can be cut to 60 watts with the switch it has. Not only but it has 2 12 inch speakers V30's too. Witht he f 30 im worried it would be enough, as its low wattaged and has only one speaker, AND you can not hook it up to an ext. cab.

 

[kaknight]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

How about a hand-wired boutique amp that can be switched from 60w to 20w.
http://www.reverenddirect.com/reverend/amps_etc/kingsnake_20_60.html

 

[StratTom]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

hmm right now the f 30 looks very appealing and affordable as well. My only main concern is its abilty to play with louder amps that ppl i jam with may have. i dont want it being drowned out by a drummer or a guitar player with more watts. because itf thats the case would i be betetr off with the f 100 combo? its a 100 watts and can be cut to 60 watts with the switch it has. Not only but it has 2 12 inch speakers V30's too. Witht he f 30 im worried it would be enough, as its low wattaged and has only one speaker, AND you can not hook it up to an ext. cab.

The F30 is a very nice amp. I'm considering one myself. Definatley check one out to see if its loud enough for you. I personally think that you'll have no problem jamming with this amp. I think the f30 has a speaker output, but I'm not sure, so if that's the case, another speaker could be used as well. Good luck with your search!

 

[BornToShred]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

100 watts is to much for the gigs most play...I can't turn 100 watts up loud enough to get the overdrive I like.
Maybe once in a blue moon, but 95% of the time 100 watts is to loud.

Yes. Back in the old days, when they didn't have PA systems, there was a need for loud amps. I think Jimi Hendrix, for example, used 200w marshalls.

 

[HHB]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

F-30 will hang w/ a drummer, and is a great amp to have around the house and studio, no worries, the F-30 is a great amp. I gig alot, 150-200 dates a year and gig w/ 14 watt, 28 watt, 30 watt and 60 watt, I use the 14 watt in most clubs I play , seat around 250-300 people

 

[southadc]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

How many watts do I really need? Here's how I'm trying to do things:

1) 100 watt 4 x 12 half stack for when I want to play loud, and for gigs if I ever sort a band out (if I ever need anything more I'll just borrow a second cab from someone).

2) Piddly little Marshall MS2 (the one that takes a 9 volt battery and clips on your belt) for when I drive up to my girlfriend's flat or something. Portable, and will go in a gig bag with a guitar.

3) 15 Watt orange practice amp for when I want to practice a little more quietly at home and don't want to use the batteries up on the MS2.

4) When the Orange amp annoys me, I use my brother's little Marshall amp, I think it's 20 watts.

I think a practice amp and a gigging amp is the way to go. That little Marshall MS 2 cost £20, and does exactly what I wanted it for.

 

[CsaRvoX]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

I have 79'Fender Twin Reverb with push\pull master volume...I keep preamp volume at 2 and crank master volume...it gets me great sound at low levels but I don't know if I pull the 2 out of the 4 6L6 power tubes I would get better sound?Should I try it or there wouldn't be a significant difference???

 

[mrid]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

How about a hand-wired boutique amp that can be switched from 60w to 20w.
http://www.reverenddirect.com/reverend/amps_etc/kingsnake_20_60.html

I wish they'd make those heads quicker! :yell:

 

[mrfjones]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

well i didn't follow all the electrical stuff in this thread but as for the amp and how many watts you need, go to the local music store and just try some out. Find the tones you like and go with that amp regardless of the wattage. If you want to go used again try some amps out to get an idea and then check out ebay and the other places. I got my soldano off ebay it at 20 watts it can blow a drummer off his kit. I would imagine that the dsl201 could do the same. if you can try out a dsl and a mesa f series side by side and see which one gets louder (provided that they are close in wattage) and also see which tone you like more. Oh yeah and check out the orange AD30TC if you can it is another killer amp, though it is a bit more than the $1000 you have to spend.

Good Luck with you tone search

 

[sonicexplorer]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

I carry a Roland cube 20 amp in my truck. Sometimes I practice at work(late shift 9:30pm - 6am). It works well with drummer, but if I play with other guitarists, I gotta use a 50 or 100 watt amp. Use to practice with two or three other guitar players, a drummer, and keyboard player. The 100 watt Carvin head and 4x12, I used to own, pushed threw the noise. I've used my 50 watt Mesa DC-5 for gigs, and have been told that it is too loud!